Describe the brief from the client
XL Group Plc.’s old brand didn't reflect their new purpose. Although the XL Group stands out through quality and responsiveness, their historic brand - built around size and stability - was in danger of blending in. In a world of risk, it was time to take one themselves. XL had a new strategy: ‘To unleash the world’s capacity to advance’. They needed a new brand to match it. It was time to reinvent themselves, and reinvent insurance.

Describe the challenges and key objectives
As the planet looks to find new technologies, sustainable energies and faster, more efficient ways to do business, the XL Group is asked to cover risks that no one has covered before .The big challenge was to reflect this and change the way people saw insurance. To show the world that insurance mattered and XL were at the front of progress. Visually, the insurance landscape was awash with blue and burgundy. In a world of risk, no one was taking one with their brand. The challenge here was making the new brand stand out from the crowd and still be taken seriously.

Describe how you arrived at the final design
Everyone else was talking about risk. We decided to talk about progress. ‘Make your world go’ was the idea at the centre of this rebrand. That’s what XL do. Because nothing happens without insurance. Ships don’t sail, cures aren’t found, buildings aren’t built, films aren’t made. However, no one was telling this story. These risks are getting more complex all the time and XL have the knowledge, speed and imagination to find an answer where others can’t. We gave them a bright, bold and agile brand to echo their superpowers as an organisation. The logo reflects precision and distinction. It always appears in black and white, and is offset by colourful vector illustrations that reveal XL’s creative, innovative spirit.

Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market
Click through rates over 100% above the industry norm, one of their most successful renewal periods ever since the rebrand. The brand had an overwhelmingly positive response throughout the company and the industry.
From launch events across the globe to trans-continental writing workshops, the whole of XL found a new lease of life on their mission to move the world forward.